Trabzon: Sumela Monastery, Uzungöl and the green Black Sea

3 days Turkey 4 min read

Trabzon is the main city of the Turkish Black Sea coast, a green, rainy region of steep hills, tea plantations and old Byzantine churches that feels very different from the Mediterranean south. The city was the capital of the Empire of Trebizond for 250 years and its medieval walls, churches and monasteries survive among the modern streets and the busy port.

Three days lets you see the city and its Byzantine church, spend a day at the cliffside Sumela Monastery and another at the mountain lake of Uzungöl. Both trips go through deep forested valleys. The weather can turn quickly, so pack for rain whatever the season.

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Plan 3 days in Trabzon

Top places to see

1
Sumela Monastery
Sumela Monastery clings to a sheer cliff face 300 metres above a forested valley about 45 kilometres south of Trabzon. Founded in the fourth century and rebuilt many times, it has a rock church covered in frescoes and a maze of cells and chapels on the ledge. Shuttle buses run up from the car park, then there is a short steep walk. Mornings are quieter and the mist in the valley often clears by midday.
2
Hagia Sophia of Trabzon
The Hagia Sophia of Trabzon is a thirteenth century Byzantine church on the western edge of the city, standing in a garden above the sea. Its frescoes of the life of Christ and the carved frieze on the south porch are among the finest of the period. It now operates as a mosque, so dress modestly and visit outside prayer times. The bell tower and garden give a quiet view over the coast.
3
Uzungöl
Uzungöl is a lake in a mountain valley about 100 kilometres east of Trabzon, surrounded by spruce forest and wooden houses, with a small mosque on the shore. It is the most popular trip from the city and busy in summer, but the walk around the lake, about an hour, is easy and pretty, and the air is cool. Go on a weekday and take a minibus or a tour, as the road is winding.
4
Atatürk Pavilion
The Atatürk Pavilion is a white nineteenth century mansion on the wooded hill of Soğuksu above the city, given to Atatürk on his visits to Trabzon and kept as a museum with his furniture and belongings. The gardens are the real reason to come, with pines and a terrace looking over the whole city and the sea. It is a short taxi or bus ride from the centre.
5
Trabzon Castle and Old Town
The old city of Trabzon sits on a ridge between two ravines, enclosed by Byzantine walls that run up from the sea to the upper castle. The Ortahisar district inside has the former church of Panagia Chrysokephalos, now the Fatih Mosque, old wooden houses and a bridge over the ravine. The streets are steep but it is a compact walk from Meydan Square, the central hub of the city.
6
Boztepe
Boztepe is the hill rising directly behind the city centre, reached by a short winding road or a stiff walk. Tea gardens at the top look straight down over the harbour, the stadium and the long curve of the Black Sea coast. It is the place locals go in the evening to drink tea and watch the lights come on. Buses run up from Meydan, or take a taxi.
7
Trabzon Bazaar
The bazaar quarter spreads west of Meydan Square around the Çarşı Mosque and the old bedesten, a domed covered market. Copper workshops, gold shops, spice sellers and stalls of hazelnuts, anchovies and local butter fill the narrow streets. Look for the Alaca Han, an old caravanserai still used by craftsmen. It is a working market rather than a tourist one, which is its charm.
8
Hamsiköy Valley
Hamsiköy is a village of wooden houses in the Değirmendere valley on the road to the Zigana pass, about 50 kilometres from Trabzon and famous across Turkey for its rice pudding. The valley is deep, green and often misty, with waterfalls and forest paths on the slopes above. It makes a natural stop on the way back from Sumela or a short trip of its own into the mountains.

Good to know

Minibuses from the central bus station run to Sumela and Uzungöl in summer, but day tours are often as cheap and save time on the mountain roads. Book the evening before.
The Black Sea coast is wet all year. Carry a waterproof jacket and good shoes even in August, and keep an afternoon flexible in case cloud covers Sumela.
Trabzon is more conservative than the coastal resorts. Modest clothing is appreciated everywhere and required in the churches that now serve as mosques.
The city is spread along the coast, and the centre is Meydan Square. Shared taxis and city buses run along the shore road to the airport, the Hagia Sophia and the bus station.

Best time to visit

June to September is the driest and warmest period, with days around 22 to 28 degrees and the mountain lakes and plateaus at their greenest. Rain is possible in any month. Spring and autumn are cooler and misty, with rhododendrons in May and vivid colours in October. Winter is cold and wet, with snow in the mountains and some high roads closed.

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